Penn students said yesterday's agreement marked a "first step" in the process and vowed to continue agitating until their school joined the WRC.

They said the nine-day sit-in demonstrated the depth of their commitment.

"They've been long days," said

Penn first-year Anna R. Roberts. "It's not easy sitting in a small room all day, not washing your hair for five days, making sure to sound good for the press and dealing with a pissed-off administration."

Their success, Penn activists said, showed the influence that students can have.

"It's a real testament to student power. Students really can make tangible changes," Joffe-Block said.

McKean said Penn's success inspires PSLM to continue their program of direct action.

"We're always very excited when other students win victories, victories that we ourselves seek, because it hopefully brings us closer to ours," he said.